Love Like This
by guitarsNthings
Summary: ..."That night, she had invaded the cold depths of his heart, as he had invaded her house, and he wondered if he was invading her heart." Characters slightly OOC.
1. Poison

**Poison**

_No, Gillian._ She picked up the phone, tempted to call in sick, when she very well wasn't. Setting the phone back down, her subconsciousness praised her like she was an obedient puppy. _Good, Gillian. Go into work, Gillian._ But she picked the phone back up. What was she doing? She dialed a number and waited.

"The Lightman Group."  
"It's Dr. Foster...is Dr. Lightman there?"  
"I'll put you through."

After a few moments of waiting, his voice came across the line, accent and all. And everything Gillian liked. "Foster?"

"Cal...can I stay home today?"  
"Why are you asking me?"  
"Because." He could almost see the eye roll she gave him.  
"That's not an answer, Gillian." Oh, there she went again.  
"Cal. I...I just need to stay home."  
"Alright, just this once." A sigh. "Everything okay?"  
"It's Alec...he...just isn't the same." Fear tinged her voice.  
"Tell him I say to stick it where it counts." Gillian heard the smile in his voice.  
"He doesn't like you, Cal."  
"I know. Look, I have to go..."  
"Alright, Cal." Almost begrudgingly, he looked at the clock.  
"I'll see you tomorrow."  
"Yes, tomorrow."  
"Bye, Gillian."  
"Bye, Cal."

Gillian hung up the phone and walked over to the window. _Liar._ She pushed away her conscious and sat down to watch TV. That is, until her husband came home. She turned off the TV and thought about him. No, not her husband.

_Him._

The one person that invaded her thoughts. Slipped under her skin. Made her feel numb. _Him._ And maybe, just maybe, she was his poison.


	2. Invasion

**Invasion**

Cal had just gotten off the phone with Gillian. She had always been happy, but he knew that she was afraid. Not of himself, but of her own husband. What would he do when he admitted to himself that he liked her? Not just as a friend or as the crazy psychologist, but as..._watch it, Lightman. Last time you thought about her you fantasized. That's Loker's job._ Cal pulled out his phone, thought about calling her back, and then set it aside. That night, as he drove through town, he passed by their house, and saw a light on in the basement.

He thought about stopping by, but drove past, not wanting to have another strike against him with Alec. Once home, he found a pile of mail on the counter. _Emily._ He smiled and sorted through it. There was a small envelope stuck in between two magazines, and it caught his eye. There wasn't a stamp on it, so it had been personally dropped off. And he recognized the writing on the front as Gillian's. He carefully opened the letter, slid out a single piece of paper. Carefully written in her cursive script, it had been defiled by two words written in black permanent marker.

_**Help me**_. Cal threw everything down onto the counter and walked back outside, shut the door, and got in his car and drove across town to Gillian's house. He saw her car parked outside, and he pulled out his phone. Dialing, he didn't care if Alec picked up his call. But it was Gillian's scared voice that came across the line. "Cal? Why are you calling me?"

"I got your letter."  
"Oh...so you know..." Her voice dropped off to almost a whisper.  
"Gillian? Are you okay?" Concern came through his voice.  
"Cal, I have to go."  
"No...Gillian, don't hang-"

Cal heard a dial tone and knew that she had hung up. Carefully, he quietly got out of his car and walked around to the back. He knew that Gillian kept a spare key outside, and he took advantage of this knowledge. He crept through the house, and heard them arguing. But then a door slammed and Gillian walked down the stairs. Cal reached out and put a hand over her mouth. "Gillian," he whispered, "it's me."

"Cal...you have to leave."

"No." There was a definite edge to his voice. What he said was final. "Not without you." Gillian followed Cal back to the door, and he held it open for her. She slipped past him, and he shut the door softly. Locking it and hiding the key, he went back out to his car. He opened the door for Gillian, softly shut it, and slid in. Starting the car, he shut the door and drove away, and when they reached his house, Gillian reached over to take his hand in her own.

"Thanks, Cal."

That night, she had invaded the cold depths of his heart, as he had invaded her house, and he wondered if he was invading her heart.


	3. Admitting It Is Only the First Step

**Admitting It Is Only the First Step**

This was all a game, and since it was a game, they played along. Their paths intertwined with each other, forcing them to be around the source of all this, which was only making things worse, until, one day, it came to a shattering halt. Typical work day, they were both making satirical remarks to each other, but then something slipped out. Broke down even his tough barriers, and it was all because of a simple statement. "You're amazing, Cal." Through her completely happy-go-lucky personality, he could have swore he saw something more to that statement.

But as time progressed, and they grew closer. A greeting in the morning went from a hug to a peck on the cheek. After a period of time, they began to go out to dinner together, claiming it was to talk about company matters. But as time went by, these "dinner conversations" turned into something more. Every Friday, there they were, and slowly, he began to drift towards her, until he was sitting right next to her. Those "conversations" grew more and more intimate and drawn in, until one day, as they sat side by side in the restaurant, Cal slipped an arm around Gillian's shoulders.

She leaned into him, and he whispered into her ear. His hot breath tickled the hairs on her neck, and she smiled. But as she tried to move away from the tickling sensation, he pulled her closer to him and placed his lips behind her ear. His voice, accent and all, made her fall for him all over again. It soothed her, knowing that this man loved her, more than her soon to be ex-husband ever did. She liked it. And, _maybe_, she thought, _maybe I love him too._


	4. Home At Last

**Home At Last**

Staring at her back as she slammed the door in his face. Not exactly the warm welcome he was expecting. Tears ran down her face as she collapsed against the door, sobbing. She didn't mean to seem like she hated him now, but it had come across like that. Whether or not she was being forced to give up their relationship was out of the question. He knew, he had always known. Even after all she told him, this thing, which wasn't all bad, but she was still "married". But being forced to give up the very thing she loved was painful. Almost too painful for her to even bear, and she hated her husband for it.

That night, he hit her. No, not Cal. Her husband. When she went into work the next day, Ria found her sobbing in the bathroom. That wasn't like her; she was usually so happy, and it made Ria concerned. So Ria went to Cal and told him about Gillian. Later that day, Gillian holed up in her office and read through paper after paper, looking for lies; watched tape after tape, and tried to find the micro-expressions in each one. Cal knocked on the door, and Gillian looked up at him, then motioned him inside.

The lights in her office were dimmed, and even the dim lighting he saw the mark on her face. He walked over to her and she whispered into the stillness. "Cal, what did I do wrong?" He didn't say a word, but placed his hands on her shoulders. He let instinct take over, and he rubbed her shoulders gently, and she closed her eyes. "I...I want this to be over." She took off her wedding ring and stared at it. "Why is he like this, Cal?" He paused, and then answered.

"Only he knows that, Gillian. And this time, I'm not getting involved." A few minutes passed, and then Cal spoke again. "He forced you to say that, didn't he?" She knew he meant the previous night, and she nodded.

"I hate him, Cal. He knew about us...he just didn't say anything." Cal stopped, this was too much, even for him, to handle. But he had seen that coming, he just chose to ignore it. Gillian turned to face him, and she looked up at him. "Cal...I hate that we...can't..." He knelt down in front of her and took her shaking hands in his.

"Gillian, I lo-" He was cut off by another voice.

"Gillian, come on, you've been at work long enough." Cal stood, and even though he stood between Alec and Gillian, Alec still pushed past him and drug Gillian out of her chair. "Get your coat." Gillian timidly stepped past Alec, and out the door. Cal was left standing alone in the room, and he knew he couldn't let Gillian go. So as Alec defensively strode after Gillian, he was brought back around by Cal's firm grip.

"Lay one hand on her..." That night, Gillian picked up the phone when Alec was sound asleep, and dialed a number.

"Hello?" His voice sounded tired.  
"Cal?" Her voice came out in a whisper.  
"Gillian. What's wrong?"  
"I...I want to get out of here."  
"Hang on, Gillian."  
"Cal, I'm scared."  
"I'm right here."  
"He's asleep."  
"I'm leaving right now."  
"Cal, hurry."  
"I will."  
"Cal..."  
"Hold on, Gillian."  
"Hurry."

The line clicked dead, and Cal sped down the street. He finally arrived at her house, and saw her standing in the shadows. She silently walked out of the backyard, and Cal saw the suitcase. Once in the car, Gillian looked over at Cal, and he reached up to brush away a tear. "You're doing the right thing."

"I know." He drove back to his house, and once they were safely inside, she followed Cal upstairs, where she saw him disappear into a room. His room. When she lay beside him, his arms protectively around her, she knew she was home.


	5. Love Like This

**Love Like This**

Five long years had gone by for them. Five years had seen a baby. A new house. More cases, and, most importantly, the day that Gillian said yes. Her first trip down an aisle had been a definite mistake, and, now that she had the papers signed and she was free, she made a second choice. A better choice at that. She stared at herself in the mirror, the long dress flowing off of her, and she bit her lip to keep from crying. Two women were there, her friend and her coworker. Suddenly, another person entered the room. Gillian spun around and saw her dad standing by the door, a teary-eyed smile on his face. "You look beautiful, Gillian."

"Dad..." They hugged, and Gillian tried hard not to keep from crying. She brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes and then the planner entered.

"It's time." The two women left first, and Gillian fidgeted slightly. She made her way down the aisle, to the man she loved, and she could feel his intense gaze on her. But she didn't mind it in the least. Finally, after all the whole ceremony, the line that they had both been waiting for was spoken.

"You may now kiss the bride." Gillian blinked back tears and then felt his lips on hers. All they had been through was summed up in that one, passionate kiss. The world seemed to fade away and then she was jerked back to the present. The reception ran late, and when they finally escaped home, she knew that this was for good. And so did he. Beyond the cake and the frills, they shared love, and that was all that mattered.

"Cal?" She spoke his name into the stillness.

"Hmm?" He looked over at her, his wife.

"I love you." She heard him turn to face her completely.

"And I love you, Gillian."


End file.
